How many times have you found yourself saying, “This is their best work to date,” when talking about an artist’s new album? I say this all the time, but after processing it for a bit, I realized how subjective that statement can be. Is a particular album the artist’s “finest work,” or is it your favorite album to date? It’s two different ways of thinking.
A good example is Pink Floyd. My favorite Pink Floyd album is Animals. Is it their best work? Some might argue that it’s Dark Side of the Moon or, say, The Wall. Maybe someone thinks Obscured by Clouds is their shining masterpiece, but again, is it really, or is it just an album you personally hold in such high regard?
That was a long way to get started, but this is exactly where I stand when it comes to talking about dark folksinger/songwriter Marissa Nadler’s latest album, New Radiations. Is it her best work to date? That is subjective, but I will say, however, that this is hands down my favorite Marissa Nadler album to date.
“It Hits Harder” opens the album, and the sparseness of the performance is like getting hit in the face with a feather. It is the perfect song to open the album and serves as a compass of sorts, guiding the way through a delicate journey of emotion and thought. “You Called Her Camellia” could have been a lost gem from her 2014 masterpiece, July, which suggests that Nadler is not one to forget where she came from.
“Smoke Screen Selene” is probably one of Nadler’s darkest songs, and this is without a doubt one of her finest pieces. The haunting strings, the droning guitar of Milky Burgess, and Nadler’s ethereal, cavernous vocals are both unsettling and beautiful at the same time. Again, it’s another signature move of Nadler’s that she has mastered over the years, and better so than her peers.
The highlight of the album for me is “To Be the Moon King.” This is where I can hear a bit of a Neko Case influence that I haven’t heard in Nadler’s previous material. The fact that she can pull from her influences without lazily replicating them is not something that a lot of artists can, or want to, pull off. Nadler’s not comfortable with reaching into realms that others may expect her to, and she does so by being herself.
Some artists strive so hard to remove themselves from the vibe they initially set out with. Sometimes, the mellow artists want to be more rocking and the rocking want to be more mellow. Marissa Nadler found a way to create a sense of creative self-nostalgia without sounding like she’s out of ideas. Nadler has a consistent, now signature sound and approach to singing, playing, and songwriting, but she does so unapologetically. It’s a constancy, as opposed to a safe, formulaic approach.
New Radiations reminds me of why I fell in love with Marissa Nadler’s music in the first place. There’s a beauty that lies in the sparseness of these songs. There is lots of room to breathe, yet there are moments where I feel my breath taken away from me. Marissa’s vocals layered with lush, atmospheric harmonies and an acoustic guitar are all that is needed to create such a mesmerizing album. Add to that the subtle sounds of Milky Burgess’ guitar creating a cosmic foundation that brings it all together and puts a bow on it.
In these tumultuous times of anger, political unrest, and mass sadness, New Radiations is a gift. It exudes a melancholic warmth that wraps one up like a warm blanket. I don’t always feel the need to be uplifted and energized in rough times, so the feeling of being with myself in a quiet, dark room with the turntable and LED lights is what I need to take me away, even for just a short time. A new Marissa Nadler album is a gift, and New Radiations is no exception.
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